Latest / EM Morning Brief / Four Corners flood damage estimated at $300 million; King tides close Pacific Coast Highway; 150,000-plus customers hit by load shedding

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Four Corners flood damage estimated at $300 million; King tides close Pacific Coast Highway; 150,000-plus customers hit by load shedding · EM Morning Brief

• 0:00
  Cedric: Good morning, I'm Cedric and this is your EM Morning Brief for Wednesday, October 28, 2026.
• 0:07
  Cedric: The Four Corners flood moves from rescue into damage assessment, and the numbers are getting bigger.
• 0:13
  Cedric: New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham said Tuesday that infrastructure damage alone could run between 200 and 300 million dollars.
• 0:22
  Cedric: In Socorro County, a woman was found dead in floodwaters Monday afternoon, and it was not yet clear whether she was the person reported swept away Sunday night.
• 0:32
  Cedric: Rescue teams used two boats to evacuate nine residents of the unincorporated San Francisco community, which remains under an evacuation notice, with a shelter open at the Finley Complex in Socorro.
• 0:45
  Cedric: The Rio Puerco near Bernardo is forecast to crest Wednesday morning at levels the Weather Service says have not been seen since July 1944, and further rises would reach Interstate 25 traffic.
• 0:59
  Cedric: Coastal flooding is the second life safety story, and it is running on both coasts at once.
• 1:05
  Cedric: A combination of king tides, El Nino and a Kelvin wave pushed Southern California sea levels to records: Newport Beach measured 8.4 feet Tuesday morning, a level the city says was last seen in the 1920s.
• 1:19
  Cedric: Pacific Coast Highway closed in Huntington Beach, and a Coastal Flood Warning now covers San Diego and Orange County coasts through Thursday afternoon, with advisories extending up through Los Angeles, Monterey Bay, San Francisco Bay and Humboldt Bay.
• 1:35
  Cedric: On the Atlantic side, Coastal Flood Warnings run from the Florida Keys through Miami Dade and Broward, up the northeast Florida beaches and the St.
• 1:43
  Cedric: Johns River basin, and into coastal Glynn and Camden counties in Georgia.
• 1:48
  Cedric: On the federal and cyber side, the University of New Mexico Health System resumed all regularly scheduled clinic appointments and procedures Tuesday after a weekend intrusion, and a group calling itself BYOD has claimed the attack.
• 2:03
  Cedric: CISA added two vulnerabilities to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog Tuesday, in Adobe Commerce and Magento and in Google Brotli, with a federal remediation deadline of November 10, and published two new industrial control system advisories.
• 2:19
  Cedric: FEMA announced roughly 23 million dollars in combined Public Assistance and Hazard Mitigation awards across eleven states and territories.
• 2:28
  Cedric: Let's run through the states.
• 2:30
  Cedric: Alaska.
• 2:32
  Cedric: A Winter Storm Warning covers the south slopes of the western Brooks Range and the Noatak Valley, and the Weather Service in Fairbanks added a Winter Storm Watch Wednesday morning for the central Brooks Range, with 8 to 12 inches
• 2:45
  Cedric: of snow possible Thursday evening through Saturday morning.
• 2:50
  Cedric: A Coastal Flood Watch runs for the Yukon Delta coast into Saturday as remnant moisture from Typhoon Champi builds north, keeping water levels elevated along the western coast.
• 3:01
  Cedric: In Kivalina, 202 residents sheltered at the school about seven miles inland during the weekend storm, which brought 65 mph gusts and a four to six foot water rise.
• 3:11
  Cedric: Most were home by Monday afternoon.
• 3:15
  Cedric: Arizona.
• 3:16
  Cedric: Severe flooding inundated Rock Point, a Navajo community of about 345 people beside Chinle Wash, and responders used an all terrain vehicle to pull a family and an elder from rising water while the state Department of Public Safety flew
• 3:30
  Cedric: air rescues.
• 3:32
  Cedric: Coconino County delivered 20,000 sandbags to Lower Moenkopi Village on the Hopi Reservation after overflow from Moenkopi Wash.
• 3:40
  Cedric: The Arizona Department of Transportation is inspecting damaged roads and infrastructure, and the governor's office says it is working with the Navajo Nation on a possible federal major disaster declaration.
• 3:53
  Cedric: A chapter official says incident command has warned that a storm expected Thursday or Friday could match the weekend event.
• 4:02
  Cedric: California.
• 4:04
  Cedric: Tuesday's morning tide was the peak of the week, and it took a visible toll.
• 4:08
  Cedric: Pacific Coast Highway closed between Warner Avenue and Seal Beach Boulevard in Huntington Beach, and the city will close it again Wednesday from 9 a.m.
• 4:16
  Cedric: to 2 p.m.
• 4:18
  Cedric: between Warner Avenue and Anderson Street.
• 4:21
  Cedric: Newport Beach closed the waterway under the Newport Boulevard Bridge to stop boat wakes from pushing water into nearby property, expects to repeat that Wednesday morning, and has suspended parking enforcement through 6 p.m.
• 4:34
  Cedric: so residents can move vehicles to higher ground.
• 4:38
  Cedric: Seawater reached Sunset Beach, Huntington Harbour and Naples Island in Long Beach.
• 4:43
  Cedric: The Weather Service says San Diego and Orange County tides are running 1.4 to 1.6 feet above prediction, with numerous roads subject to closure and some critical infrastructure inundated.
• 4:55
  Cedric: Governor Gavin Newsom signed two executive orders Tuesday at Crystal Cove State Park, one directing state agencies to prepare Highway 1 and surrounding coastal communities for El Nino storm damage, the other adding flood preparedness measures statewide.
• 5:12
  Cedric: We have more to cover this morning, but first, a quick word from our sponsors.
• 5:17
  Cedric: Thanks for supporting our sponsors who help make EM Morning Brief possible.
• 5:21
  Cedric: Now, back to this morning’s updates.
• 5:25
  Cedric: Colorado.
• 5:26
  Cedric: The Department of Transportation reopened US 160 between Pagosa Springs and South Fork in both directions Tuesday at 3:30 p.m., after a closure that began Thursday evening.
• 5:38
  Cedric: Travel is single lane alternating around the clock at two work zones, a culvert and sinkhole repair about six miles east of Pagosa Springs and shoulder undercutting near The Narrows west of South Fork, with holds up to 20 minutes
• 5:52
  Cedric: and advice to allow an extra hour.
• 5:55
  Cedric: On the plains, a Flood Warning holds for the Purgatoire River near Las Animas in Bent County, where high flow from recent rain was at 9.2 feet Tuesday evening and is forecast to crest near 9.7 feet Wednesday morning before
• 6:09
  Cedric: falling back below flood stage in the afternoon.
• 6:13
  Cedric: Florida.
• 6:14
  Cedric: King tides peaked Tuesday and left closures behind.
• 6:18
  Cedric: A stretch of North Bay Road in Miami Beach was shut while underwater, and the Las Olas Boulevard bridge at Seabreeze Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale closed in both directions for standing water, with no wake signs posted on Isle of
• 6:31
  Cedric: Palms Drive.
• 6:32
  Cedric: Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue ran high clearance vehicles across the city and pulled people out of flooded homes, and Hollywood crews pumped water off South Ocean Drive.
• 6:43
  Cedric: The Keys remain under a Coastal Flood Warning for major saltwater flooding, and warnings for coastal Miami Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties run through Wednesday evening.
• 6:53
  Cedric: In the northeast, the Coastal Flood Warning and High Surf Advisory for Nassau, Duval, Flagler and St.
• 6:58
  Cedric: Johns counties were extended to 2 a.m.
• 7:00
  Cedric: Friday, with breaking waves of seven to nine feet.
• 7:06
  Cedric: Inland, the St.
• 7:06
  Cedric: Johns River at Astor stays in moderate flooding until further notice, with water in homes along Wildhog, Possum, Bonnet and Snail roads.
• 7:15
  Cedric: Hawaii.
• 7:17
  Cedric: The City and County of Honolulu opened four pet friendly emergency shelters on Oahu at 4 p.m.
• 7:22
  Cedric: Tuesday, at the Wahiawa, Kaneohe, Waianae and Manoa district parks, and partially activated its Emergency Operations Center at 7 p.m.
• 7:31
  Cedric: Forecasters expect 6 to 10 inches of rain over parts of Oahu through Friday morning, and a Flood Watch covers all main Hawaiian Islands into late Wednesday night, with the greatest threat over Oahu and Maui County.
• 7:44
  Cedric: City crews are clearing streams and opening stream mouths, afternoon and evening classes at the four shelter parks were suspended, and TheBus, Handi-Van and Skyline are expected to run with possible delays and detours.
• 7:58
  Cedric: A High Wind Warning covers the Big Island summit.
• 8:01
  Cedric: Idaho.
• 8:02
  Cedric: The Southern Idaho Regional Communications Center and Twin Falls police reported 911 phone trouble Tuesday across Twin Falls, Gooding, Jerome and Lincoln counties, directing callers to local non emergency lines or 311, and service has been restored.
• 8:19
  Cedric: Indiana.
• 8:20
  Cedric: FEMA says it is keeping in person support open for applicants from the August 2026 storms now that the application deadline has passed, continuing document uploads, program questions, appeals and home inspections at locations listed by the state.
• 8:36
  Cedric: Michigan.
• 8:38
  Cedric: The Ridge fire six miles north of Negaunee stands at 466 acres and 50 percent containment with structures threatened and trail closures in effect, and the Black River fire south of Wakefield is at 326 acres and 80 percent.
• 8:53
  Cedric: Nebraska.
• 8:55
  Cedric: Governor Jim Pillen has asked FEMA for a federal disaster declaration covering Public Assistance in Douglas, Fillmore, Lancaster, Saline, Sarpy, Saunders, Seward and Thayer counties for flash flooding that ran from September 30 through October 6.
• 9:11
  Cedric: Damage assessments have already passed 23 million dollars and could go higher, covering water control facilities, roadways, bridges, electrical distribution, schools and public buildings, with extensive debris removal in Lancaster, Thayer and Saunders counties.
• 9:27
  Cedric: Omaha reported 80 water rescues during the event.
• 9:31
  Cedric: In a separate request, the governor asked the Small Business Administration for a declaration covering Douglas County, which would open low interest loans to affected property owners.
• 9:42
  Cedric: New Mexico.
• 9:43
  Cedric: San Juan County is still telling evacuated residents not to return while crews check homes for hazards, a process officials expect to take several days.
• 9:52
  Cedric: Floodwater there is contaminated with sewage, fuel, pesticides and oilfield production water, and the county has asked the Department of Health to test private wells.
• 10:02
  Cedric: Municipal water in Farmington, Aztec and Bloomfield is reported safe, with Farmington drawing from Lake Farmington after shutting its river intakes.
• 10:12
  Cedric: A disaster recovery center is open at San Juan College in Farmington, the McGee Park shelter has space, and daytime shelters are running at Shiprock High School and Mesa Elementary.
• 10:23
  Cedric: The Rio Chama below Chamita holds in minor flooding until further notice, and a new Flood Advisory covers minor overbank flows on the Rio Grande at Embudo in Rio Arriba and Taos counties through Friday evening.
• 10:37
  Cedric: US 60 is closed just east of Interstate 25 in Socorro County.
• 10:42
  Cedric: New York.
• 10:42
  Cedric: The Chautauqua County Health Department issued a boil water order Tuesday for all Village of Fredonia water customers, including Town of Pomfret customers served by the village, after high organic material in the Fredonia Reservoir pushed treated water turbidity above
• 10:57
  Cedric: state standards.
• 11:00
  Cedric: The order runs until further notice, and a conserve water order from the prior week stays in effect.
• 11:06
  Cedric: Ohio.
• 11:08
  Cedric: The Auditor of State's office took its web server and online accounts offline after a cyberattack on Sunday.
• 11:15
  Cedric: Auditor Keith Faber said Tuesday the attack came from overseas criminals and potentially foreign state actors, that the incident was not ransomware, and that the office still holds all its data.
• 11:26
  Cedric: He said personal financial information and the records of audited cities, villages and school districts are not believed to be at risk.
• 11:34
  Cedric: State and federal law enforcement are investigating, and the office is standing up a temporary web platform while the server is restored.
• 11:43
  Cedric: Texas.
• 11:44
  Cedric: El Paso County issued a local disaster declaration Tuesday under Chapter 418 after flooding in Horizon City from heavy rain on October 23 and 25.
• 11:55
  Cedric: County Judge Ricardo Samaniego said up to 60 homes were affected.
• 11:59
  Cedric: Horizon City Fire reports 34 homes affected, 13 evacuated and 20 families sheltering in place, with 10 to 12 homes carrying moderate to major damage.
• 12:10
  Cedric: A shelter is open at Horizon High School through Saturday, nine vacuum trucks have been pumping standing water since Monday, and a sheriff's helicopter is working with state police to trace the water's source.
• 12:22
  Cedric: The declaration lets the county clear debris, assist private property and buy emergency services without standard purchasing steps.
• 12:32
  Cedric: Washington.
• 12:33
  Cedric: A Winter Weather Advisory covers the Cascades of Whatcom, Skagit, Snohomish, King, Pierce and Lewis counties through Wednesday afternoon, along with Chelan and Okanogan counties, so mountain pass travel will be slow.
• 12:46
  Cedric: The Sisi fire northwest of Stehekin on the Okanogan Wenatchee National Forest holds at 4,743 acres and 34 percent containment, with residences threatened and area, road and trail closures in place.
• 13:00
  Cedric: Puerto Rico.
• 13:01
  Cedric: LUMA Energy warned Tuesday afternoon of a high risk of load shedding at peak demand, and the outages followed.
• 13:08
  Cedric: More than 150,000 customers lost service Tuesday night.
• 13:12
  Cedric: Genera PR reported operating problems at the San Juan, Aguirre, Palo Seco and Costa Sur plants that cut available generation.
• 13:20
  Cedric: LUMA vice president Jose Perez said the shortfall forced rotating load shed and that the system will have to lean on emergency units burning more expensive fuel, which could raise costs.
• 13:32
  Cedric: Earlier Tuesday LUMA had warned that its emergency measures did not guarantee load shedding would be avoided.
• 13:39
  Cedric: That wraps today's EM Morning Brief.
• 13:41
  Cedric: New episodes drop Monday through Friday in the 5:00 AM hour P.T., so the day starts with clarity instead of catch-up.
• 13:48
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• 13:51
  Cedric: EM Morning Brief is an EOC Voices Podcast.
• 13:54
  Cedric: Stay Safe.